So, I am here in DC. Got to the hotel [late of course - thanks AA], checked out where I needed to be first thing in the morning and on the way back through the mall to the hotel figured I would get something to eat. Saw a Five Guys burger place. Now I have never had one, never even seen one of their stores anywhere but I have heard a lot of buzz about them here and there so I figured why not.
The burger was great [Bacon Cheeseburger with mustard, ketchup, tomato, jalapeno, onion and mushroom] and the fries were piping hot and very tasty. A tad expensive [$10]. Much more than McDonald's, at least McDonald's in Texas, no idea about VA but it was bigger and better and well worth it.
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However the thing that prompted me to write this was not the food but rather what to me was a somewhat odd and quirky element of their service style. Now I work in the restaurant industry, IT now but I was a store manager for years so I get that brands need to differentiate themselves. You need good food, excellent service and something that sets you apart from the others to be successful. Anyway I was waiting for my order to come up and watching the employees while I waited. I noticed the expediter filling a bag; couple of burgers, couple of fries in cups and then - a scoop of fries just thrown in the bag loose. Odd I thought. Perhaps he thought the initial portion was small. Anyway as I continued to watch he did this for every order including mine. It seems it must be by design; a point of differentiation. Now I am not one to shy away from large portions; there is a little bit of the "pig" in me but this did seem a little peculiar. Not the end of the world but to get to the burger I had to go through the fries. Take a look at the photo; yes there is a burger in there under the fries. Not really complaining and as stated already the food was very good and very filling. I am just not convinced I would have introduced that particular element into the service style of my business.
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And what of the Sushi Train. Well on the way out of the mall I noticed what I immediately thought of as "The Sushi Train". I don't eat Sushi and the restaurant was not called the Sushi Train though that would have been so apropos [and no I don't know what it was called - it was in the Tyson's Corner Center is all I can tell you]. What caught my eye can be seen in the photo. The restaurant has a conveyor system that winds its way by every table. The dishes are color coded and the guests just grab the ones they want; the employees then add them to the check when they collect the empty containers from the tables. Like I said, I don't eat Sushi, but I found that to be an extremely interesting and innovative way to set up a restaurant.
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